After a suspected Chinese spy balloon was taken down by the US earlier this month off the American East Coast, China said it will be taking measures against US entities that are connected to the balloon takedown, as per AP's report on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang Wenbin, did not provide any specifics or mentioned the measures' intended targets during a daily briefing.
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - FEBRUARY 10: In this U.S. Navy handout, Sailors assigned to Assault Craft Unit 4 prepare material recovered in the Atlantic Ocean from a high-altitude balloon for transport to federal agents at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Feb. 10, 2023.
Unmanned Weather Airship
China claims the balloon was an unmanned weather airship that was accidentally blown off course, and it accuses the US of overreacting by shooting a missile from an F-22 fighter plane to take down the balloon.
On February 4, the suspected spy balloon was seen heading toward the coast of South Carolina. The flying object was shot down the following day off Myrtle Beach upon orders from President Joe Biden.
The takedown of the balloon increased tensions between the US and China at a time when Secretary of State Antony Blinken had to cancel a significant diplomatic mission to Beijing.
Despite the US claiming that the balloon was built to collect signals for intelligence gathering, Beijing insists that it was a weather device that had wandered off track.
Six Chinese Entities Blacklisted
The US recently blacklisted six entities that it claims to have ties with China's aerospace space programs.
The six entities include China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 48th Research Institute, Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co., Shanxi Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co., Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Co., Dongguan Lingkong Remote Sensing Technology Co., Guangzhou Tian-Hai-Xiang Aviation Technology Co.
"The PRC's use of high-altitude balloons violates our sovereignty and threatens US national security. Today's action makes clear that entities that seek to harm US national security and sovereignty will be cut off from accessing US technologies," Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez said in a statement.
According to Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Grave, the Commerce Department will continue to use the Entity List and other regulatory and enforcement powers to defend American national security and sovereignty.
Sightings of unidentified flying objects have kept the US military busy for the past few days as they take down these objects. The White House defended these operations on Monday, Feb. 13.
It also acknowledged that there was no proof that these objects were built for surveillance in the same way as the alleged Chinese spy balloon.
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